Dinosaurs grew huge early and fast, study says

Even inside eggs, creatures flexed their muscles

4:46 PM,
Apr. 10, 2013

Reconstruction of an embryonic dinosaur inside an egg.

Written by

Dan Vergano
USA Today

How did dinosaurs grow so big? By starting early, according to paleontologists reporting on a dinosaur eggshell and bone bed, among the oldest yet discovered.

The discovery, near Kunming in southern China, may help answer questions about how dinosaurs grew so very big. The apparent answer: They started growing early and fast, even inside the egg.

The find is "an unprecedented window into embryonic growth in a dinosaur," says the study, led by Robert Reisz of the University of Toronto. About 200 tiny bones were found among the eggshell fragments. Less than an inch long, the bones show ...